US Waiver on Russian Oil Compromises India's Sovereignty: Congress

Congress MP KC Venugopal criticised the Centre over the US waiver for Indian refiners to purchase Russian oil, calling it a 'humiliating development' for India's sovereignty and alleging that PM Modi was compromising the nation's energy sovereignty.

Congress Criticises 'Humiliating' US Waiver

Congress MP KC Venugopal on Friday criticised the Centre over the US waiver granted to Indian refiners to purchase Russian oil, calling it a humiliating development for India's sovereignty and international standing.

In a post on X, Venugopal alleged that instead of standing up to the United States dictating terms, Prime Minister Narendra Modi was compromising India's energy sovereignty. He said it was deeply humiliating that India needed a US "waiver" to purchase oil from a long-standing partner like Russia. Venugopal added that India must take a strong and independent stance in deciding what is in its supreme national interest, rather than allowing other countries to dictate its foreign policy or force it to seek permission for such decisions. "In Amrit Kaal, the Indian PM has to beg before other countries to purchase oil from where he wishes to. It is deeply humiliating for India's sovereignty and international standing that it needs a US "waiver" to purchase oil from a time-tested partner like Russia. Instead of standing up to the US dictating terms, Compromised PM Modi is handing our energy sovereignty on a platter to other countries. India must take a strong independent stance and decide what is in supreme national interest - not allow other countries to dictate our foreign policy and force us to beg them for permission," the 'X' post from Venugopal said.

Jairam Ramesh Alleges 'American Blackmail'

Earlier, Congress MP Jairam Ramesh on Friday cornered the Central government after the US permitted Indian refiners to purchase Russian oil, which he believed is "American blackmail" on India. In a post on X, Jairam Ramesh penned a short prose while attaching the post of US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announcing the 30-day waiver amid a crisis in the Gulf hampering shipping routes that pass through the Strait of Hormuz. "Trump's new game Told the Delhi friend You can get oil from Putin, How long will this continue? This American blackmail," he wrote.

US Explains Temporary Waiver

This comes after US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said, "President Trump's energy agenda has resulted in oil and gas production reaching the highest levels ever recorded. To enable oil to keep flowing into the global market, the Treasury Department is issuing a temporary 30-day waiver to allow Indian refiners to purchase Russian oil."

"This deliberately short-term measure will not provide significant financial benefit to the Russian government as it only authorises transactions involving oil already stranded at sea. India is an essential partner of the United States, and we fully anticipate that New Delhi will ramp up purchases of U.S. oil. This stop-gap measure will alleviate pressure caused by Iran's attempt to take global energy hostage," he added.

Geopolitical Context of the Waiver

The waiver comes at a time when India continues to face potential risks linked to energy supply disruptions in the Middle East amid escalating tensions in West Asia after a joint US-Israel military strike on February 28 on Iranian territory resulted in the death of its Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and other senior figures. India sources nearly 40 per cent of its oil imports from the region, with a significant portion transported through the strategically important Strait of Hormuz. (ANI)

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